Check Your Health: Eating Smart While Traveling

As summer quickly approaches, so do the road trips and vacations. If you're trying to eat healthy, travel can add additional challenges. Joy Musselman, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital has three tips on how to make travel-friendly meals and snacks more nutritious:

• Plan ahead: Whenever possible, plan to bring your own snacks and easy meal items. Pack travel-friendly snacks such as unsalted nuts, applesauce cups, whole fresh fruit, single serving nut butters, and whole-grain crackers. If you have a small cooler, you could also pack string cheese, single-serving hummus and veggies, or Greek yogurt.

• Choose wisely when eating out: Scope out the restaurant menu ahead of time and look for options that contain fruits and vegetables. Choose to drink water or milk instead of soda. Avoid breaded items, opting instead for grilled or baked options with sauces on the side.

• Be food safe: Always wash or sanitize your hands before eating. Make sure your cold food stays cold and your hot food stays hot. Use caution when drinking tap water in developing countries or some U.S. locales.